Despite significant advancements in our understanding of effective teaching and how children learn, historically, very few instructors have had access to the knowledge they need to teach effectively. This situation resulted from a previous belief that teachers only needed to know how to follow the book and that schools could be run through top-down management. Instead of being viewed as professionals with the knowledge and experience to make wise decisions about teaching and learning, teachers were regarded like semiskilled workers, given extremely organized jobs, and viewed as technicians who could be given very little preparation. We discovered that persistent beliefs that divert attention from the effort required to enhance teacher preparation frequently thwart attempts to address these issues. The misconceptions that “anyone can teach” and “teacher education makes no difference” are two of the most damaging.
These ingrained beliefs have led to the continued lack of a reliable, effective system for hiring, training, and advancing American educators. Since not all teacher preparation programs must be accredited, there is a wide range in quality, with both good and out-of-date programs functioning alongside each other. In a similar vein, the number of “alternative teacher preparation” programs is expanding quickly. The federal data show that enrolment in alternative teacher preparation programs in the U.S. increased by 111% from 2012-13 to 2019-20 from 84,100 to 177,800 people (source: https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/tls). Meanwhile, completion of alternative programs also rose, though more modestly. These programs can range from high-quality programs to ones that just offer a few weeks of orientation in hasty fixes that simply cause dissatisfaction and fatigue for most of its applicants.
The belief that teacher licensure is merely a bureaucratic obstacle to recruiting enough teachers to staff our country’s schools undermines it in many instances. Across the country, thousands of ineligible people are waiting in front of schools. Even the current, lax licensure requirements are not met by them, much less the strict ones that are required. In order to satisfy the demands of schools that are unable to retain teachers with the necessary credentials, these people are put in classrooms in violation of district and state rules. Although it is claimed that these schools are experiencing “shortages” that call for exceptions, we feel that uncertified teachers can never be placed in schools due to teacher “shortages,” based on the information provided. The idea that licensure, accreditation, or excellent teacher preparation are obstacles to providing enough highly prepared teachers to the country’s schools is unsupported by any evidence. Cutting corners on these quality control procedures just makes the issues that are keeping talented teachers from working in schools that need them worse.
Establishing standards is similar to constructing a pyramid in that each level is dependent upon the others. If teachers are not prepared to meet high standards, students will not be able to meet them. It is critical to recognize that a pluralistic society and a knowledge-based economy bring with them new demands on education. In order to help every child prepare for successful employment and productive citizenship in the twenty-first century, all teachers must have a thorough understanding of their subject areas, understand how children learn, be able to use that knowledge to teach well, use modern learning technologies effectively, and collaborate closely with their colleagues to create rich learning environments. This is even more true today than it was ten years ago.
We are aware that the foundation of good schools is high-quality instruction. It takes three steps to meet this requirement: licensing must become a widely accepted assurance that teachers entering the classroom are qualified to be there; accreditation and other quality assurance initiatives must make sure that teacher preparation programs are meeting these expectations; and teacher preparation programs must prepare teachers who can meet high standards.
The foundation of effective teacher preparation programs is our understanding of effective instruction. As stated, we have identified a set of criteria that we believe define a highly qualified teacher.
Regarding what a highly qualified teacher should know and be able to do to assist children learn, the teaching profession has come to an agreement. Because it is essential that programs involved in teacher development and licensure be founded on a generally recognized consensus of what it means to be a highly qualified starting teacher, we reiterate this definition in these pages.
These attributes are not innate. Getting to the classroom calls for those who are self-assured and have done their homework. We cannot trust people who are unfamiliar with rigor with our children’s minds.
The effectiveness of any teacher preparation program in imparting these fundamentals of excellent teaching should be evaluated, regardless of whether it is considered “traditional” or “alternative.” These essential elements of high-quality instruction should be reflected in and reinforced by accreditation and licensure.
In the parts that follow, we go over six important aspects of teacher preparation and offer ways in which they complement the qualities of a great teacher that we listed at the start of this section.
- CAREFUL SELECTION OF APPLICANT TEACHERS
Teacher preparation programs can find teaching candidates who are qualified to build the qualities of starting teachers by carefully selecting and recruiting them. Carefully choosing applicants raises the possibility that a program for preparing teachers will produce people who:
– Have in-depth understanding of the subjects they instruct;
– Work together with other educators, parents, community members, and coworkers;
– Evaluate their methods to enhance instruction and student learning;
– Strive for professional development in pedagogy and content; and
– Encourage students to have a love of learning.
- ADEQUATE ACADEMIC READYING FOR TEACHING
– Programs for preparing teachers prioritized graduate students with good intellectual backgrounds who:
– Have in-depth understanding of the subjects they instruct;
– Show that you have a solid grasp of how students learn; and
– Exhibit the teaching abilities required to assist every student in meeting high standards.
- POWERFUL APPLICATIONS TO IMPROVE TEACHING SKILLS
– A highly qualified teacher is developed through clinical practice in a variety of contexts under the guidance of faculty and experienced educators. It is crucial for training new educators who:
– Show that you have a solid grasp of how students learn;
– Exhibit the instructional abilities required to assist every student in meeting high standards;
– Establish a constructive learning atmosphere;
– Diagnose and address each student’s unique learning needs using a range of assessment techniques;
– Incorporate contemporary technology into courses to enhance students’ learning; and
– Work together with other educators, parents, community members, and coworkers.
- MENTORED TEACHING SUPPORT AT THE ENTRY LEVEL
Beginning teachers receive vital support (source: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/21582440211015680) as they establish the foundation for being successful educators through a robust residency and guided induction program. Novice teachers gain a deeper understanding of all facets of highly qualified teaching through these experiences, and specifically they:
– Show that you have a solid grasp of how students learn;
– Exhibit the instructional abilities required to assist every student in meeting high standards;
– Establish a constructive learning atmosphere;
– Diagnose and address each student’s unique learning needs using a range of assessment techniques;
– To enhance student learning, incorporate contemporary technology into curricula;
– Work together with other educators, parents, community members, and coworkers;
– Evaluate their methods to enhance instruction and student development; and
– Strive for professional development in pedagogy and content.
- USE CURRENT TECHNOLOGIES IN LEARNING
Programs for preparing teachers that include contemporary learning technology (source: https://ed.stanford.edu/ldt) into clinical practice, academic preparation, and induction create educators who are capable of:
– Use contemporary technology in the classroom to enhance students’ learning;
– Exhibit the instructional abilities required to assist every student in meeting high standards;
– Diagnose and address each student’s unique learning needs using a range of assessment techniques;
– Work together with other educators, parents, community members, and coworkers;
– Evaluate their methods to enhance instruction and student learning;
– Strive for professional development in pedagogy and content; and
– Encourage students to have a love of learning.
In order to address the learning demands of pupils in the digital age, teachers in 21st century schools need to possess a deep understanding and high level of skill in using, navigating, and troubleshooting various technological devices, software, and platforms. Software and hardware that connect classrooms to the outside world and a wealth of curriculum resources in every subject area, at every grade level, are being used more and more in K–12 settings for teaching and learning. Parents, students, school boards, and administrators expect all instructors to be proficient in the use of the new technology that will permeate classrooms in the future. It is particularly crucial that we prepare educators who are starting their careers in rural and low-income communities to become champions for the use of Information and Communication Technologies (source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_and_communications_technology) to enhance education. Without teachers who know how to include students in demanding learning activities that can help them attain high standards, students in these communities will not be able to fully benefit from these new learning tools. Developing technology-savvy teachers in these environments should be a top priority for teacher preparation programs as they plan their clinical practice and induction experiences.
It is insufficient to create a small cadre of education technology specialists or add new techniques courses about technology in education. University courses across the curriculum must be created, or reformed, by quality preparation programs to guarantee that all teacher candidates learn with technology under the guidance of faculty members who use it effectively in all subject areas.
Candidates for teaching positions in all subject areas and grade levels should be equipped to use technology as a tool to encourage students to take an active role in their education. They should be able to use the power of these new learning tools to help students improve their language and artistic skills, and they should be able to use modeling, simulations, and graphic manipulations, among other techniques, to help students gain a deeper conceptual understanding of mathematics and science. Additionally, given the forecast, all high school graduates would have completed at least one online course, teacher candidates ought to be given the chance to collaborate with tech-savvy educators in online learning environments.
New tools for documenting student learning (such as electronic grade books and portfolios), identifying problem areas (such as portable devices that can generate “running records” of students’ reading progress), and evaluating student and class progress (such as assessment databases and spreadsheets) are all made possible by modern learning technologies.
Throughout their training and clinical practice, teacher candidates should master the use of these potent evaluation instruments. On the opposite end of the technological spectrum, several states are creating thorough online tests that instructors can use to track students’ development from year to year. This allows each succeeding teacher to create learning activities that are appropriate for the next stage of a child’s education. It should be clear to new teachers how to use this information to inform their lesson plans.
- EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TEACHER PREPARATION
To guarantee high-quality teacher preparation, the efficacy of teacher programs must be evaluated (source: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19415257.2023.2264309). Programs are better positioned to advance if they evaluate the success of the teachers they train. By involving teacher hopefuls and new instructors in this process, they also help to create highly skilled educators who can:
– Diagnose and address each student’s unique learning needs using a range of assessment techniques;
– Evaluate their methods to enhance instruction and student development; and
– Strive for professional development in pedagogy and content.
When combined, the six elements of the teacher training program listed above offer precise steps for achievement. Beginning teacher attrition rates are nearly half that of beginning teachers who have not received this type of preparation when teacher preparation programs emphasize a cogent approach to developing rigorous knowledge and teaching skills, incorporate extensive clinical practice tailored to the needs of the schools and students they will serve, and offer early teaching support to their graduates. Graduates who are well-prepared are more likely to remain in the classroom and help the schools they work in build a robust professional learning community.
Similar to other professions, ensuring quality in teacher preparation is accreditation (source: https://aacte.org/resources/high-quality-educator-preparation/). Generally speaking, voluntary accrediting organizations are used by American professions to assess the caliber of programs that train new hires. As in the fields of engineering, nursing, and medical, accreditation processes and concepts are typically linked to a nationally recognized curriculum. Only individuals who successfully finish authorized programs are eligible to sit for licensing tests. In order to strengthen quality standards, a chain of responsibility connects state licensing requirements, specialty accreditation, and academic standards. This isn’t true for teacher preparation for a number of political and historical reasons. In certain states, instructors can obtain their license and certification to teach without completing an approved teacher preparation program (source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_teacher_certification), which is different from accreditation in other professions.
There has been increasing pressure on federal and state agencies to take the lead in the chain of responsibility for teacher preparation. There is growing criticism about the quality of many teacher education programs. The apparent unwillingness or incapacity of many programs to fundamentally alter or enhance themselves is causing alarm among many politicians. These worries have contributed to the growth of the alternative paths movement.
The pass rates of applicants on their course final exams, the “comps” (comprehensive examination) needed for their degree programs, or their PRAXIS and other teacher exam scores are not enough to fully understand the quality of teacher preparation.
All teacher education programs, both conventional and alternative, should step up their efforts to show the “value added” they provide to their teacher candidates in public.
The characteristics of a highly qualified beginning teacher that serve as the foundation for this section should be documented, together with the degree to which graduates have developed and mastered them.
Professionally established national content standards for students in pre-K–12 are now in line with NCATE program criteria (source: https://cdn.ncte.org/nctefiles/groups/cee/ncate/final_guideprepaing_712.pdf). Teachers are being prepared to teach to the standards in these academic areas as long as education programs achieve these standards.
Faculty in the arts, sciences, and education evaluate clinical experiences and courses to ascertain how they help teachers build their pedagogical expertise and material to meet criteria.
COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY ACCOUNTABILITY FOR HIGH-QUALITY TEACHER TRAINING
Approximately 1,400 colleges and universities in the United States offer teacher preparation programs according to the National Council on Teacher Quality (source: https://www.nctq.org/research-insights/our-review-of-teacher-preparation-programs-with-u-s-news-setting-the-record-straight/). These programs encompass various levels of education, including certificates, associate degrees, bachelor’s degrees, and master’s degrees. Additionally, over 550 of these programs are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).
Since 1,400 colleges and universities nationwide prepare the great majority of the nation’s teachers, institutional responsibility for success must be addressed in any serious debate of accountability for high-quality teacher preparation.
Deans of the arts and sciences, college presidents, university chancellors, and education colleges must all take responsibility for the caliber of teachers trained at their schools. This entails prioritizing high-quality teacher preparation in institutional design. Don’t make a mistake. These institutions’ boards of trustees and presidents have a moral obligation to the children of America. They shouldn’t be involved in teacher preparation if they can’t fulfill this commitment.
The reality is that far too many teacher education programs lack the funding necessary to carry out their mandates. Too many American universities treat their schools of education as ‘cash cows,’ whose excess revenues are spent on the training of doctors, lawyers, accountants, and almost any other students than the prospective teachers themselves.
Faculty members frequently receive lower salaries than their counterparts in other professions, and investments in educational technology frequently fall well short of those made in other university programs.
Effective teacher training requires significant resources. Shortchanging teacher education leads to weak programs that lack the extensive supervised assistance necessary for successful teacher preparation, as well as poor training.
The priorities of the compensation systems at many research universities with teacher preparation programs divert faculty members from taking a major role in teacher preparation. These systemic disincentives stand in the way of successful and efficient teacher preparation.
When important university policies are modified to promote and reward cooperation between the K–12 faculty and the colleges of education, arts, and sciences, progress is made. This can include procedures that acknowledge the importance of K–12 collaboration in faculty promotion and tenure regulations, as well as policies that reward all academics — not just those in education — for their teaching and service efforts.
Sometimes, in order to break down the barriers between K–12 educational systems, schools of education programs, and the arts and sciences, structural adjustments are needed.
The main challenge in ensuring quality in higher education institutions is to restore teacher preparation to its former status in American higher education — as a core mission that involves all campus segments and has the active support of top university leaders. We present this problem to the presidents of colleges and universities as the most significant public policy issue they will face in the coming years.
Changes in policy, structure, and practice that lead to a campus-wide, community-based focus on high-quality teacher training must be developed and maintained by campus chief executives, provosts, and even trustees.
To guarantee that America’s children are taught by highly competent educators, we still maintain that licensure is crucial. In order for America’s families and children to feel secure, licensure must guarantee that school administrators are assigning qualified persons to their classes.
Significant correlations between teacher certification metrics and student achievement at the individual instructor level have been discovered by studies employing both national and state data sets. The strength of conclusions regarding the significance of certification that may be made from any one study is strengthened by the convergence of data across many units and levels of analysis.
We feel that more needs to be done to guarantee that licensure reflects the high standards required for highly competent teaching, even if states are increasingly agreeing on raising licensing standards. This is due to:
- States differ in the quality and content of their licensing requirements;
- Tests for teacher licensure are insufficient. Wide differences in acceptable passing scores reduce their worth, and some are poor indicators of the breadth of knowledge and abilities required of all teachers;
- Licenses are a farce due to loopholes. The number of backdoors to classrooms has increased, and state officials have occasionally approved flagrant disregard for their own regulations;
- Sometimes the public is unaware of the credentials and licensure status of the teachers in their schools; and
- Due to the fact that underqualified “teachers” are frequently assigned to overburdened schools, disadvantaged pupils suffer the most from these loopholes.
One powerful voice in the cacophony of change is that of professional standards boards for educators (source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Board_for_Professional_Teaching_Standards). In the best of circumstances, these boards have the same powers as boards for other professions, including the ability to accredit programs for teacher training and license renewal, establish standards for licensure, grant licenses, and discipline certified practitioners. While some serve as advisors to state boards of education, others are autonomous and have the authority to establish guidelines and standards for practice.
New teachers who get excellent teacher preparation are equipped with the abilities, self-assurance, and competence to start their teaching careers. A teacher’s high level of qualification should be confirmed by their license. As we all know, these are the initial steps to ensuring that our schools are filled with qualified, capable, and compassionate teachers. By implementing the recommendations for teacher preparation and quality assurance, states, higher education institutions, schools, and school districts can work with us to make sure that teacher preparation creates a solid foundation and that licensure ensures high-quality instruction:
TEACHER EDUCATION
– Establish and uphold strict requirements for admission to all programs that prepare teachers;
– Mandate that all “traditional” and “alternative” training programs offer demanding instruction intended to cultivate and inculcate the qualities of highly trained teachers;
– Create programs for preparing teachers based on the six pillars of effective teacher education;
– Establish incentives at the federal, state, and local levels to attract and train educators in fields with high needs; and
– Create and support robust K–16 collaborations where teacher training closely reflects school and student needs.
ASSURANCE OF QUALITY
– Demand that all programs that prepare teachers adhere to strict accreditation requirements;
– Assign leadership accountability for the caliber of teacher training at the program and institution levels;
– Discontinue those programs that don’t generate good teachers;
– Where independent standards bodies are lacking, establish them and develop regulatory processes to carry out their rulings;
– Create and implement generally recognized criteria and passing scores for licensing examinations that are based on a strict definition of teaching quality;
– Create several measures for licensure that include demanding content knowledge tests, performance-based evaluations of teaching ability, and portfolios that record both content knowledge and teaching ability;
– Impose penalties on schools that force instructors to teach outside of their fields and on districts that employ unlicensed teachers;
– Provide the public with information about teaching assignments and teacher licensure status;
– To enhance the system for teacher training and licensure, gather and apply data on student accomplishment, teacher licensure, and teacher retention; and
– Implement sophisticated certification and licensing programs with multiple tiers, ranging from entry-level to experienced teaching.
It is time to insist on high-quality teacher training, strict accreditation criteria, and high-quality licensure to guarantee that educators are equipped to satisfy the teaching requirements of our schools and the learning needs of our students.
Megan Wilson is a teacher, life strategist, successful entrepreneur, inspirational keynote speaker and founder of https://EbookACE.com. Megan champions a radical rethink of our school systems; she calls on educators to teach both intuition and logic to cultivate creativity and create bold thinkers.
